Planning a Patio? Basic Steps to Consider

Patios are growing in popularity thanks to their long-term value and a trend toward outdoor living. Listed below are the basic steps in planning a patio that will be both beautiful and practical.

Step 1: Pick Your Place

Most patios are adjacent to the house, but they don’t have to be. A patio placed well away from the house can provide a flat, dry area for a quiet retreat. On the other hand, if you plan to use your patio for dining, you will want to locate it as close to the kitchen as possible. Having a patio close to the house has many advantages. If it's visible from inside the house, it has a tendency to be used more simply because of the awareness factor and close accessibility. A patio can also serve as a transitional area between the house and the garden. Sometimes paving a narrow side yard or other small area can turn an otherwise unused spot into a functional patio. This is especially true of areas that receive little sunlight and might otherwise be difficult spots in which to maintain a lawn or other plantings.

Step 2: Size It Right

A patio meant for the family can be small and intimate. But if large gatherings are in your future, you'll want to make sure your patio can handle a crowd. One way to figure the size is to set up tables and chairs on your lawn and see how much room you might need.

Step 3: Choose Your Materials

Brick, concrete, slate, and flagstone are among the most popular patio surfaces, either alone or in combination. When selecting a material, consider factors beyond just cost. It's always a good idea to match the style of your home, if possible. And if you'll be dining regularly, select a surface that is smooth enough to keep tables and chairs from wobbling.

Step 4: Select Your Details

A patio can be a simple square of concrete or bricks. But to make the most of your outdoor living space, you'll want to add amenities like low-voltage lighting, planters, fountains, or fireplaces. Let you lifestyle and needs dictate the details you choose to add. Furniture, lighting, and accents such as a fountain or plants contribute to the overall look, usefulness, and enjoyment of a patio. Details like chairs, benches, and planters can draw people to your patio.

Adding light can make your patio useful even after the sun goes down. If the patio is attached to the house, you can mount floodlights on the eaves for full illumination. Consider putting the lights on a rheostat so you can control the brightness. If the patio is not adjacent to the house, consider mounting lights on tree limbs, an arbor, wood posts, or decorative lampposts.

Whether elaborate and built-in or simple and freestanding, water features are desirable amenities for a patio. Even a small pond can host a number of plants and or fish. Or install a fountain to provide a bubbling background to your outdoor experiences. The soothing sound of water can mask unwanted noise, making even an urban patio a restful retreat.

Step 5: Select a Builder

The weight and hardness of patio materials can make building one a challenge for the novice. Still, if you want to try a small, forgiving project, consider building a sand-based patio yourself. More complex projects, especially those involving large concrete pours, should involve at least some experienced help.

Step 6: Plan Your Plantings

Trees, flowers, and shrubs help a patio blend into the rest of the garden, and should not be an afterthought. Planters or planting pockets built into the structure of a patio allow you to introduce trees and shrubs that can soften the hard surfaces and edges of the structure. One advantage to using containers is that they are portable, which means you can move the plants around to suit your mood and their needs. Whether complex or simple, patio plantings enhance your enjoyment of the time you spend outdoors.

Source: bhg.com

How to Determine Space for Outdoor Entertaining

If you plan to use your deck or patio for entertaining, follow these guidelines for planning a space that will be the right size.

Step 1. Determine your needs. Make a list of all the ways you want to use the patio. This list might include an area for reading and relaxing, for an intimate dinner for four, or for a casual gathering of 20 friends. It may be all of the above and more.

As you list the various uses for the patio, check which of them are most important to you. Many homeowners have an occasional need for the patio to accommodate large groups, but the vast majority of the time they need to have enough room for only up to four people. One way to have a larger patio that still feels intimate is to use potted plants to frame part of the space. They can be moved when you need the extra room.

Step 2. Determine the type and amount of furniture required. Once you know how many people you need to accommodate, you can select the furniture. Typically this includes tables, chairs, and benches. Note anything else you want in the space, such as a grill or a drink cart.

If you already have or know the type of furniture you will use, measure all the pieces so you can plan the patio exactly. If you don't know what furniture you will have, you can use the general guidelines offered below.

Step 3. Figure the amount of space you need. The size of your patio is a personal decision, but there are some guidelines that may help you determine the right size for your needs.

If all you want is space for two people to sit with a small table in between, you can get by with a patio as small as 10 feet by 10 feet. Keep in mind that a patio this small may look out of place if it is attached to the house.

For an attached patio, a minimum size of 10 feet by 20 feet will provide enough room for four chairs and a small dining table.

As you map out the exact dimensions of the patio, plan for about 3 feet by 3 feet per chair. This allows room for the chair and a comfort zone around it. The average garden bench requires about 6 feet by 3 feet.

Table sizes vary, but a standard bridge table is 3 feet by 3 feet. This may be too small for dining; the recommended space for a dining table for four people is 4 feet by 4 feet.

Sketch the general shape, size, and location of the patio onto grid paper, with each grid equaling 6 inches. Then cut out pieces of paper to scale to represent chairs, tables, and benches. Move them around on the sketch to make sure you've allowed enough space. Be sure to leave room for people to walk around the furniture.

Source:bhg.com

There are many advantages to using pavers for any patio, walkway or driveway project.

• Numerous paving styles
• Unlimited color possibilities
• Create your own design
• Low cost, no maintenance
• 50 year + life expectancy
• No cracking
• 3 times stronger than poured concrete
• Perfect for freeze-thaw conditions
• Pavers move with soil conditions
• Easy installation